By thy loved mother, by whate'er remains
On earth most dear to thee, oh! hear me now,

Thy suppliant! Do not, do not thus forsake me,
Alone, oppressed, deserted, as thou seest,

In this sad place. I shall, I know it must, be
A burthen to thee. But, oh! bear it kindly;

For ever doth the noble mind abhor
Th' ungenerous deed, and loves humanity;

Disgrace attends thee if thou dost forsake me,
If not, immortal fame rewards thy goodness.

Thou mayst convey me safe to Oeta's shores
In one short day; I'll trouble you no longer.

Hide me in any part where I may least
Molest you. Hear me! By the guardian god

Of the poor suppliant, all- protecting Jove,
I beg. Behold me at thy feet, infirm,

And wretched as I am, I clasp thy knees.
Leave me not here then, where there is no mark

Of human footstep- take me to thy home!
Or to Euboea's port, to Oeta, thence

Short is the way to Trachin, or the banks
Of Spercheius' gentle stream, to meet my father,

If yet he lives; for, oh! I begged him oft
By those who hither came, to fetch me hence-

Or is he dead, or they neglectful bent
Their hasty course to their own native soil.

Be thou my better guide! Pity and save
The poor and wretched. Think, my son, how frail

And full of danger is the state of man-
Now prosperous, now adverse. Who feels no ills

Should therefore fear them; and when fortune smiles
Be doublycautious, lest destruction come

Remorseless on him, and he fall unpitied.
CHORUS (singing)

Oh, pity him, my lord, for bitterest woes
And trials most severe he hath recounted;

Far be such sad distress from those I love!
Oh! if thou hat'st the base Atreidae, now

Revenge thee on them, serve their deadliest foe;
Bear the poor suppliant to his native soil;

So shalt thou bless thy friend, and 'scape the wrath
Of the just gods, who still protect the wretched.

NEOPTOLEMUS
Your proffered kindness, friends, may cost you dear;

When you shall feel his dreadful malady
Oppress you sore, you will repent it.

LEADER OF THE CHORUS
Never

Shall that reproach be ours.
NEOPTOLEMUS

In generous pity
Of the afflicted thus to be o'ercome

Were most disgraceful to me; he shall go.
May the kind gods speed our departure hence,

And guide our vessels to the wished-for shore!
PHILOCTETES

O happy hour! O kindest, best of men!
And you my dearest friends! how shall I thank you?

What shall I do to show my grateful heart?
Let us be gone! But, oh! permit me first

To take a last farewell of my poor hut,
Where I so long have lived. Perhaps you'll say

I must have had a noble mind to bear it.
The very sight to any eyes but mine

Were horrible, but sad necessity
At length prevailed, and made it pleasing to me.

LEADER
One from our ship, my lord, and with him comes

A stranger. Stop a moment till we hear
Their business with us.

(The Spy enters, dressed as a merchant.
He is accompanied by one of NEOPTOLEMUS'men.)

SPY
Son of great Achilles,

Know, chance alone hath brought me hither, driven
By adverse winds to where thy vessels lay,

As home I sailed from Troy. There did I meet
This my companion, who informed me where

Thou mightst be found. Hence to pursue my course
And not to tell thee what concerns thee near

Had been ungenerous, thou perhaps meantime
Of Greece and of her counsels naught suspecting,

Counsels against thee not by threats alone
Or words enforced, but now in execution.

NEOPTOLEMUS
Now by my virtue, stranger, for thy news

I am much bound to thee, and will repay
Thy service. Tell me what the Greeks have done.

SPY
A fleet already sails to fetch thee back,

Conducted by old Phoenix, and the sons
Of valiant Theseus.

NEOPTOLEMUS
Come they then to force me?

Or am I to be won by their persuasion?
SPY

I know not that; you have what I could learn.
NEOPTOLEMUS

And did the' Atreidae send them?
SPY

Sent they are,
And will be with you soon.

NEOPTOLEMUS
But wherefore then

Came not Ulysses? Did his courage fail?
SPY

He, ere I left the camp, with Diomede
On some important embassy sailed forth

In search-
NEOPTOLEMUS

Of whom?
SPY

There was a man- but stay,
Who is thy friend here, tell me, but speak softly.

NEOPTOLEMUS (whispering to him)
The famous Philoctetes.

SPY
Ha! begone then!

Ask me no more- away, immediately!
PHILOCTETES

What do these dark mysterious whispers mean?
Concern they me, my son?

NEOPTOLEMUS
I know not what

He means to say, but I would have him speak
Boldly before us all, whate'er it be.

SPY
Do not betray me to the Grecian host,

Nor make me speak what I would fain conceal.
I am but poor- they have befriended me.

NEOPTOLEMUS
In me thou seest an enemy confest

To the Atreidae. This is my best friend
Because he hates them too; if thou art mine,

Hide nothing then.
SPY

Consider first.
NEOPTOLEMUS

I have.
SPY

The blame will be on you.
NEOPTOLEMUS

Why, let it be:
But speak, I charge thee.

SPY
Since I must then, know,

In solemnleague combined, the bold Ulysses
And gallant Diomede have sworn by force

Or by persuasion to bring back thy friend:
The Grecians heard Laertes' son declare

His purpose; far more resolute he seemed
Than Diomede, and surer of success.

NEOPTOLEMUS
But why the' Atreidae, after so long time,

Again should wish to see this wretched exile,
Whence this desire? Came it from th' angry gods

To punish thus their inhumanity?
SPY

I can inform you; for perhaps from Greece
Of late you have not heard. There was a prophet,

Son of old Priam, Helenus by name,
Hlim, in his midnight walks, the wily chief

Ulysses, curse of every tongue, espied;
Took him. and led him captive. to the Creeks

A welcome spoil. Much he foretold to all,
And added last that Troy should never fall

Till Philoctetes from this isle returned.
Ulysses heard, and instant promise gave

To fetch him hence; he hoped by gentle means
To gain him; those successless, force at last

Could but compel him. He would go, he cried,
And if he failed his head should pay th' forfeit.

I've told thee all, and warn thee to be gone,
Thou and thy friend, if thou wouldst wish to save him.

PHILOCTETES
And does the traitor think he can persuade me?

As well might he persuade me to return
From death to life, as his base father did.

SPY
Of that know not: I must to my ship.

Farewell, and may the gods protect you both!
(The Spy departs.)

PHILOCTETES
Lead me- expose me to the Grecian host!

And could the insolent Ulysses hope
With his soft flatteries e'er to conquer me?

No! Sooner would I listen to the voice
Of that fell serpent, whose envenomed tongue

Hath lamed me thus. But what is there he dare not
Or say or do? I know he will be here

E'en now, depend on't. Therefore, let's away!
Quick let the sea divide us from Ulysses.

Let us be gone; for well-timed expedition,
The task performed, brings safety and repose.

NEOPTOLEMUS
Soon as the wind permits us we embark,

But now 'tis adverse.
PHILOCTETES

Every wind is fair
When we are flying from misfortune.

NEOPTOLEMUS

• immortal [i´mɔ:təl] a.不死的n.不朽的人物 (初中英语单词)
• convey [kən´vei] vt.运送；传达；转让 (初中英语单词)
• wretched [´retʃid] a.可怜的；倒霉的 (初中英语单词)
• stream [stri:m] n.河 vi.流出；飘扬 (初中英语单词)
• hither [´hiðə] ad.到此处 (初中英语单词)
• prosperous [´prɔspərəs] a.繁荣的；顺利的 (初中英语单词)
• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)
• destruction [di´strʌkʃən] n.破坏，毁灭 (初中英语单词)
• severe [si´viə] a.严厉的；苛刻的 (初中英语单词)
• distress [di´stres] n.痛苦 vt.使苦恼 (初中英语单词)
• dreadful [´dredful] a.可怕的；讨厌的 (初中英语单词)
• generous [´dʒenərəs] a.慷慨的；丰盛的 (初中英语单词)
• departure [di´pɑ:tʃə] n.离开，出发 (初中英语单词)
• grateful [´greitful] a.感谢的；令人愉快的 (初中英语单词)
• farewell [feə´wel] int.再见 n.&a.告别 (初中英语单词)
• horrible [´hɔrəbəl] a.可怕的；恐怖的 (初中英语单词)
• companion [kəm´pæniən] n.同伴；同事；伴侣 (初中英语单词)
• pursue [pə´sju:] v.追赶；追踪；从事 (初中英语单词)
• greece [gri:s] n.希腊 (初中英语单词)
• virtue [´və:tʃu:] n.美德；贞操；长处 (初中英语单词)
• mysterious [mi´stiəriəs] a.神秘的；难以理解的 (初中英语单词)
• betray [bi´trei] vt.背叛；辜负；暴露 (初中英语单词)
• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)
• solemn [´sɔləm] a.严肃的；隆重的 (初中英语单词)
• league [li:g] n.同盟；社团 (初中英语单词)
• gallant [´gælənt, gə´lænt] a.英勇的；华丽的 (初中英语单词)
• persuasion [pə´sweiʒən] n.说服(力)；劝说；见解 (初中英语单词)
• punish [´pʌniʃ] vt.(惩)罚；痛击；折磨 (初中英语单词)
• midnight [´midnait] n.午夜；漆黑 (初中英语单词)
• captive [´kæptiv] n.俘虏；捕获物 (初中英语单词)
• welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)
• instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)
• traitor [´treitə] n.叛徒，卖国贼 (初中英语单词)
• persuade [pə´sweid] v.(被)说服；使相信 (初中英语单词)
• expose [ik´spəuz] vt.揭露，暴露；陈列 (初中英语单词)
• conquer [´kɔŋkə] v.征服；克服；抑制 (初中英语单词)
• guardian [´gɑ:diən] n.监护人；保护人 (高中英语单词)
• repent [ri´pent] v.后悔；悔改；悔悟 (高中英语单词)
• reproach [ri´prəutʃ] vt.&n.责备；指责；耻辱 (高中英语单词)
• pleasing [´pli:ziŋ] a.使人愉快的；合意的 (高中英语单词)
• naught [nɔ:t] n.无；零 (高中英语单词)
• embassy [´embəsi] n.大使馆；大使职务 (高中英语单词)
• serpent [´sə:pənt] n.大毒蛇；阴险的人 (高中英语单词)
• forsake [fə´seik] vt.遗弃，抛弃，摒绝 (英语四级单词)
• adverse [´ædvə:s] a.不利的；反对的 (英语四级单词)
• cautious [´kɔ:ʃəs] a.小心的；谨慎的 (英语四级单词)
• valiant [´væliənt] a.勇敢的，英勇的 (英语四级单词)
• wherefore [´weəfɔ:] ad.为什么；因此 (英语四级单词)
• resolute [´rezəlu:t] a.坚决的；不屈不挠的 (英语四级单词)
• doubly [´dʌbli] ad.加倍地，双重地 (英语六级单词)
• disgraceful [dis´greisful] a.可耻的；不光彩的 (英语六级单词)
• grecian [´gri:ʃən] a.古希腊的 n.希腊人 (英语六级单词)
• foretold [fɔ:´təuld] foretell过去式(分词) (英语六级单词)
• insolent [´insələnt] a.傲慢的；无礼的 (英语六级单词)